New Parents in California Are Now Eligible for Free Baby Boxes

Every parent wants their baby to get the best sleep they can and in the safest way possible. Following the American Academy of Pediatrics’ (AAP) safe sleep recommendations (outlined in more detail below) is one way to do this. Getting a cardboard box for your L.O. to sleep in may very well be another. California has just become the latest state in the U.S. to support parents in using baby boxes, which are basically cardboard boxes that double as an infant’s first bed. Ohio, Alabama and New Jersey are three states already on-board with distributing them to new parents.

Before we dive into California's new program and what it means for new parents, here's a quick refresher of the AAP's safe sleep tips — which are recommended whether your baby sleeps in a baby box, bassinet or crib. When putting baby to sleep, it’s important to:

Place baby to sleep on his or her back — never on his stomach — until he or she is at least 1 year old.

Make sure baby sleeps on a firm mattress or surface. (If your LO falls asleep in a car seat, swing, carrier or other device, move him or her to a firm sleep surface as soon as possible.)

Make sure there is no soft bedding, including crib bumpers, blankets, pillows, wedges, sleep positioners and soft toys in baby’s sleep area. The crib should be bare. One exception: The AAP does recommend introducing a pacifier during naptime or bedtime, especially if you’re nursing (and you don’t have to put the pacifier back in if it falls out while baby sleeps). That said, they recommend waiting at least a month after beginning breastfeeding to do so. (Additionally, don’t stress if your baby refuses to take the pacifier or doesn’t want it — that’s completely fine, and it won’t harm him or her at all to sleep without it.)

Share a room (if possible) but not a bed, preferably until the baby turns 1 but at least for the first six months.

Back to the baby box program: Inspired by an 80-year-old program from Finland, California will now offer parents who are residents of the Golden State baby boxes free of charge. As of March 7, California families are eligible to receive free a Baby Box from The Baby Box Co. which includes essentials like diapers, baby wipes, brain-boosting activity cards, personal care products, nursing pads, feminine care products, onesies and a waterproof tote bag.

The box is made from durable cardboard and is “proactively certified to meet the highest level of available safety standards for bassinets by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), as well as Health Canada and European Union (EN) Standard regulations."

That said, “cardboard boxes for babies are currently not subject to any mandatory safety standards,” notes the CPSC. But the commission is currently working with manufacturers of the boxes “to include requirements for cardboard baby boxes within the bassinet voluntary standard.”

To receive a box, parents need to register as California residents at babyboxco.com, watch a course at babyboxuniversity.com, and then complete a short quiz that confirms they completed the course. They can then choose to pick up the box or have it delivered.

“We consistently see that new parents are overjoyed and excited but also anxious as they enter parenthood,” Nicole Samii, an M.D. at the Los Angeles County USC Medical Center said in a press release. “We are proud to share the Baby Box Co. program with our maternity and pediatric patients so they know they can leave the hospital aware that they have on-demand guidance and resources to help reduce the anxiety all parents face as they learn to care for their children.”

One sobering fact that may support this move: The U.S. infant mortality rate is nearly three times higher than Finland’s, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and baby boxes have recently been touted as a way to reduce the high rate of infant deaths.

But are these baby boxes absolutely the reason behind this stat? Skeptics question whether it’s actually the additional education about sleep safety and SIDS linked to the boxes that has helped Finland keep their infant mortality rate down. There’s also the fact that their health care system is, in general, superior to that of the U.S., and prioritizes maternity and newborn care. (The country's generous family leave policies may also play a role.)

The bottom-line, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics: "Currently, there is insufficient data on the role cardboard boxes play in reducing infant mortality." Nonetheless, experts currently involved in state programs believe there are more pros than cons for families.

Dr. Kathie McCans, chair of the New Jersey Child Fatality and Near Fatality Review Board, told NPR last year that standards, regulations and more testing are needed. But in her opinion, the benefits of the baby box program's educational component outweigh potential risks. “My hope is that we will not have people making the errors of putting a baby in a sleep surface that has blankets and pillows and crib bumpers, that everyone will know that every baby needs to be put to sleep on their back each and every time," she says.

You can visit the BabyBoxCo.com to get more info on whether boxes are available in your area, or purchase one for $70 through the site.